Tangled Secrets
by Red-Elephant
Summary: PART ONE. Usagi needs a little reassurance from her boyfriend after a secret is revealed.


**TANGLED SECRETS**

Part I

Rating: M

Author: Red_Elephant

_**AN**__: We all have a 'past'; that time before we meet The One. As much as we don't want it to, that time niggles at the back of the mind creating little gremlins that feed on your insecurities, especially when you don't have a past of your own to share. This story is set very roughly somewhere at the end of season three or the first half of season four. There were several episodes that made me think Usagi had a few gremlins of her own and this story is the result. I think we can all relate to it in one way or another. Enjoy and review!_

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon belongs respectively to Naoko Takeuchi/Kodansha, TOEI Animation and DIC Entertainment. Not written for monetary purposes, this is simply written in the hopes of entertaining anyone out there who decides to read it.

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Mamoru's fingers clenched at the steering wheel with a vice like grip, the blood fleeing from his knuckles and sending little needles of pain shooting up his arms. He tried flexing his shoulders back, striving to at least appear nonchalant but the tension locked up a muscle in his shoulder blade and his wince ruined the look.

He shot another glance at Usagi out of the corner of his eye, biting the inside of his cheek. She had managed to position her body away from him as she glared out at the blurred scenery as they sped past. Her window was open, even though the night was chilly, and her hair was flying everywhere making it very hard to see through the windscreen. He had asked her, at some point, if she would mind winding it up but she'd simply folded her arms and turned further away from him. She hadn't said a word since they had left the cinema complex and he was beyond confused. Normally very vocal, this silent fury was an unknown entity that was, in all honesty, scaring the crap out of him.

"Usako," He ventured, raising his voice to be sure she could hear him. "Do you want me to take you home?" He waited a moment before taking his eyes off the road once more to glance at her. "Usako?"

"Whatever."

Mamoru would have missed her answer had the wind not blown it back in his face with a great wave of her hair. Spluttering, he spat a wad of it out of his mouth, using one hand to push a few strands from his eyes. A horn blasted in warning. He quickly steered away from the line he had been drifting towards

"What does that mean?" He demanded, trying once more to roll his shoulders back. He winced again. "Is that a yes or a no?"

"No!" She shouted, turning to glare at him with as much poison as she could muster. "Why do I always have to spell everything out?"

"Fine."

He did a U turn at the traffic lights and pressed his foot down a little harder than was necessary on the accelerator. The car shot forward effortlessly but he found none of his usual pleasure in the action. Spitting her hair out once again, he turned down his street. She beat him to the remote button. The only sound to break their oppressive silence was that of a screeching hinge as they waited for the security gate for the underground parking to open. He slid his car into his reserved space and turned off the ignition, pausing for a moment to collect himself.

"I had fun tonight."

Somehow, it was the wrong thing to say. She scrambled out of her seat, slamming the door so hard that the glass rattled in its frame. He cursed, climbing out quickly to catch up with her. The elevator door began to close on him as he stepped in, causing him to hop awkwardly into the small room. Feeling off balance, Mamoru leant back against the mirrored wall and shoved his hands through his aberrantly un-kept hair. Sweat was sliding down his back causing the material of his black shirt to cling uncomfortably to his skin. He pulled at the bottom of it a few times to make it billow, trying to get some air circulating on his heated flesh.

The elevator door opened onto his floor and Usagi swept past him. He followed her down the hall to his apartment, unable to keep himself from once again admiring the innocently seductive swing of her hips as he dug his keys out of the pocket of his jeans. She kept her eyes on the floor as he opened his door.

Mamoru tossed his wallet and keys onto the small cabinet he kept in his entry way, slipping his shoes off and slippers on. He moved with practiced ease in the darkness, tugging on a string to open the curtains leading to his balcony. Light from the almost full moon flooded through the large glass panels, lazy clouds casting shadows on the balcony pavement. He left the sliding doors shut, certain that he didn't want his already nosey neighbours to hear the argument he knew was coming. Mamoru clicked on a table lamp and threw himself into one of his arm chairs.

Usagi sat on the very edge of his sofa, fingers fidgeting with the frilly hem of her short white skirt. Mamoru cleared his throat but she wouldn't look at him.

"Ok this is ridiculous." He declared, miffed. "Would you please tell me what the hell is wrong?"

She pulled at a loose thread. "Do you really not know?"

"Would I be asking if I did?" He wished she would look at him.

She stood up and began to walk to the kitchen. "It's nothing."

"Like hell it's-" He pushed himself out of his chair.

She whirled suddenly, pointing a finger straight at him. "I saw you Mamo-chan. When I came back from the bathroom after the movie. I saw you with that woman."

"What woman?" He demanded, racking his brain for a face.

Usagi closed the distance between them, shoving her finger into his chest. "Misaki." A grim smile twisted her lips when recognition flighted across his face. "Oh now you remember! I saw you!"

He really, honestly, didn't get what she was driving at. "So?" He tried to place his hands on her shoulders but she wouldn't let him. "Usagi, Misaki is a friend. I've known her for years."

Tears of anger glistened in her enormous eyes. "But she wasn't always just a friend was she Mamo-chan?" She took a huge breath and let it out in a noisy gust. "Reika told me everything."

Mamoru felt his spine go ram rod straight, a little of the blood draining from his face. "She had no right to tell you."

"No," Usagi agreed, glaring up at him. "I should have heard it from you."

Mamoru didn't know what to say. A few select words ran through his mind but none of them were appropriate things to say to the girl in front of him. She stared up at him, eyes searching his and he didn't like what she seemed to find. Two tears slid over her cheeks, one running into the corner of her mouth. Her tongue dipped out to catch it while she scrubbed at the other with trembling fingers. Mascara streaked across her temple. She stepped back, turning to leave.

"Wait," He gripped her slim wrist tightly. "Please let me explain."

She tried to shake him off, using her other hand to try and prise his fingers open. "Let me go Mamoru."

"No. Let me explain." He repeated, wrenching her back to him and shaking her with a little more force than was necessary. She winced and he instantly regretted handling her so violently. More tears began to trace down her cheeks. He dropped her hand. "Misaki and I are friends," Somehow, he still couldn't meet her eyes when he said it. "With added...benefits."

A small strangled noise escaped her lips at his admission. He wondered if she had been hoping he'd lie about it. She wrapped her arms around herself.

"Usa, it was a long time ago," He stared at her, willing her to believe him. "Before I found you."

"Do you love her?"

"No! No it was never like that." He couldn't help feeling hurt when she flinched at his touch. "We both had similar outlooks on relationships," He shrugged helplessly. "We filled a need in each other. It was never about love."

"So it was just about sex?" Usagi's normally full lips became a thin line.

Mamoru nodded, trying to keep up with all the emotions passing though her eyes. "Yes."

"And was this-" She broke off, struggling with her thoughts. "Did you have this arrangement when we first met?" He took a deep breath and nodded again. She brought one hand to her cheek, distressed. "So you would tease me and then come home to her?"

Mamoru suddenly had a headache. He pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. "I am not answering that." He spun on his heel and went into his kitchen, pulling out drawers in search of paracetamol.

"So if you needed her then, what's to say you don't need her now?" A sharp bark of laughter escaped Usagi's lips, devoid of any amusement. " 'Cause it's very obvious that she's in love with you."

He choked on the pills as they lodged in his constricted throat. He pounded his fist into his chest, all kinds of pain shattering through his body. "She is not." He rasped, slamming his fist against his chest once more.

Usagi stomped her foot, furious that he would deny it. "Yes she is."

"No she's-" He filled his lungs with a huge gulp of air. "This is ridiculous. You're completely over reacting."

He fully expected her to punch him in the face for that but instead she became very still and her eyes pooled into swimming disks of aquamarine. Little alarm bells started ringing as she turned sharply on her heel. He stared for a moment at the spot where she had been before he realised that she was actually leaving. She had the door open, shoes in hand when he reached her. He grabbed her elbow and planted his feet.

"Please stay."

She swung her shoes at him. "Why won't you answer my questions?"

He couldn't stop the tiny grin that tugged at his lips. "Because you don't really want to hear the answers. All you need to know is that I want you and only you."

"She's in love with you!" Usagi shouted, furious that he could find any of this funny. "She kept touching you; she even touched your face," Poison crept back into her glare as she tried to pull her arm away. "And you let her!"

"Would you please keep your voice down?" Mamoru hissed, glancing up and down the corridor. All the doors remained closed.

Usagi's shoulders sagged. "Mamoru, she's beautiful." She dropped her shoes.

"_You're_ beautiful." He smoothed his knuckles over her cheeks as he kicked his door shut. Many conflicting emotions flew across her face. He could see her struggling, mouth opening and closing as she battled with all the questions she had and all the answers she didn't want to hear.

"You don't look at me like you look at her." It came out as a breathy whisper and she once again refused to look at him. He put two fingers under her wet chin and forced her head up. Her insecurities swam to the surface of her eyes, finally shining brighter than all the rest.

"Any feelings you are imagining that I have for her are only that for a friend. We were both lonely and it was easy." He placed his hands on either side of her face, willing her to look at him. "Usako I love you. From the moment you hit me with that test it was you and only you. I don't want anyone else." He smoothed a few tears with the pad of his thumb.

Usagi closed her eyes tightly and shook her head, seemingly unsatisfied. "But you were sleeping with this woman..." Finally she looked right at him. "Is that why you...you don't want me...like that?"

Mamoru blinked, heart stalling for a full twenty seconds before it struggled to catch up to its normal rhythm. His fingers slide into her hair and his lips were on hers not long after, tongue sliding over her lips, until she opened and let him inside. He groaned, allowing the tight grip on his self control to slip, his hands skimming down her back to her hips, tracing the curves of her ass. She raised herself up onto tippy toes to press herself against him, arms wrapping around his neck.

Somewhere along the way, she ended up pressed against the small cabinet and he lifted her onto it, ignoring the clatter of his possessions hitting the floor. She laughed and he grinned a little sheepishly as he smoothed a hand over the soft swell of her breasts, contemplating just ripping the thin fabric off. Her head fell back against the wall as she arched beneath his hands and he followed, delving into the soft wetness of her mouth.

Usagi seemed content to drive him crazy, shy hands skimming over the band of his jeans before once more climbing his back to the tight bunching of muscles at his shoulders. His lips wondered over her cheek and down her neck to her collar bone, smiling against her heated flesh as she gasped and squirmed, nails scratching at his skin. Her fingers weaved into his hair, tugging his head back to her waiting lips. He kissed her deeply, once, twice before he pulled away, resting his forehead against her own.

Her breaths were coming in sharp bursts, skin flushed and clammy. Just to clear up any lingering doubts, he pressed himself tightly against her open legs. She gasped sharply, dusty lashes fluttering against his own as she felt the full extent of his arousal.

"I want you Usako." He looked her straight in the eye. "Only you."

With great effort he managed to pull himself from her warmth to lean against the opposite wall, groaning quietly at the picture she made as she attempted to straighten her clothes and fix her hair. She didn't hop down immediately, sure that her legs were not yet steady enough to hold her up. He ignored his protesting body, breathing deeply as his pounding heart slowly dropped to a more acceptable pace. Other parts would follow soon enough.

"C'mon." Usagi gripped his hands tightly as he pulled her down, pausing a moment to make sure her legs were solid beneath her. He squeezed her hands, smiling reluctantly. "I should probably take you home," He pressed his lips close to her ear, one arm slipping around her waist. "But you should probably hide that from Kenji."

"What-" Usagi began to ask as he led her back down the corridor to the elevator. He silenced her with a soft kiss before the elevator doors slid open. He tapped her on the ass as she walked ahead of him.

"Mamo-chan!" She shrieked, swatting his hand away.

He slipped an arm around her shoulders as he leant back against the wall, smoothing her hair from her face as she quietly began to list her favourite scenes from the movie they had seen earlier that night.

Her eyes were ringed with mascara and her skin was still blotchy from her tears. He supposed he would have to tell her about the hickey he hadn't meant to leave on her neck before he let her face her father but her smile was back. He wasn't stupid enough to think that this was the end of it but, right in this moment, it seemed to be enough.

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AN: Please Review

Coming Soon: Tangled Secrets - Green Dragon


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